Method of and machine for preparing shoe stiffeners



D. B. MACDONALD ET AL Aug. 29,1933.

' METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR PREPARING SHOE STIFFENERS.

Filed Sept. 23, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 29, 1933. 1,924,226

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR PREPARING SHOE STIFFENERS D. B. MACDONALD ET Al.

Filed Sept. 23, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 //v VEN MR5;

Aug, 29, 1933.

D. B. MACDONALD El AL METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR PREPARING SHOE STIFFENERS,

Filed Sept. 25, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 29, 1933 UNITED STATES METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR PREPAR- ING SHOE STIFFENEBS David Baird Macdonald and Roland Baird Macdonald, Leicester, England, assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. L,

a Corporation of New Jersey Application September 23, 1930, Serial No, 483,872, and in Great Britain October 2, 1929 10 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to methods of and mafor the toe portions of shoe box toes).

The invention is concerned especially with the preparation of stifieners by charging blanks of sheet material with stiiiening-material, such, for example, as celluloid.

A form of box toe which has achieved considerable popularity is disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,345,944, granted July 6, 1920, upon the application 'of David B. Macdonald. This box toe comprises several layers of fabric between which is spread a very thick celluloid solution or paste, the box toe stifiener thus prepared being packed by the maker in air-tight containers so that the intended user on opening the containers finds the stifieners limp, pliable and ready for immediate use. Themaking of such multi-layer stifieners otherwise than by hand involves serious mechanical and economic difficulties and at the present time, in spite of the cost of doing so, such stiil'eners continue universally, it is believed, to be made by hand.

Another form of stiffener which has come into extensive use consists of fabric which has been charged with celluloid solution and dried and the stiffener cut from which has to be softened by a solvent before it can be used.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of and machine for the preparation of shoe stiil'eners, such as box toes for example, by the employment of which stiffeners, having the important advantages of those uppers. (i e. so-called of both of the forms above mentioned, can be produced rapidly and economically.

With the foregoing in view the invention in one aspect consists of an improved methodof preparing shoe stiffener-s by progressively applying a layer of stiffening material to the surface of a blank of absorbent material and working the stiffening material into the blank by the application of progressively increasing pressure.- The stin'ening material may consist of a thick solution or paste of celluloid or the like which if merely applied to the blank would lie mostly upon the surface thereof but by applying progressively increasing pressure to the coating blank in accordance with the method of the present invention the stiffening material is worked into the blank, impregnating the latter and producing a very satisfactory article. i

In order to facilitate the packing and ultimate use of the stiifeners their preparation may be com pleted by treating their surfaces; which are quite sticky when soft, in a manner to reduce the stickiness as, for example, by dusting powdered material upon their stickv surfaces. In another aspect invention is to be recognized in a machine for preparing shoe stifieners, said machine comprising, in combination, means for applying a stifiening solution to the surface of a blank of absorbent material and means for applying progressively increasing pressure to the blank to work the stiffening solution into said blank. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention there are provided moving bands which are co-operatively related to apply pressure .to a stiffener-blank fed between them, means being provided for causing a progressive increase of the pressure applied by said bands as the blank is advanced between them. Preferably means is also provided for feeding blanks between the bands mechanically so that the amount of manual labor {5 required is minimized. v

The above and other features and advantages of the invention will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of certain illustrative examples of the production of box toe stiifeners in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. lis a right-hand side elevation, partly in section, of the front portion of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank magazine of said machine. I

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a fragment of that portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is ,a right-hand side elevation, partly in section, of the middle portion of the machine;

- Fig. 5 is a plan view of part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4;-

Fig. 6 is a right-hand side elevation, partly in, section, of the rear portion of the machine} and Fig. 7 is a detailed view of parts of a roll, chains and wires showninFig. 6. a

The illustrated machine has a magazine 1 in which a stack of fabricblanks to beimpregnated may be placed. The magazine comprises a rear I wall 2 which is fixed by screws 3 to bars 4 mounted on the machine frame. The screws! pass through vertical slots in the rear wall 2 so as to permit the rear wall to be adjusted vertically on the bars 4 to vary, the gap between thelower edge of the wall 2 and a band presentlyto be described. Fixed on the bars 4 by screws 5 is a plate 6. The screws 5 pass through vertical'slots in the plate 6 and allow the plate to be adjusted vertically on the bars. The front of the magazine a formed by two bars 'l-fixe'd to the plate 9 by w screws 8 passing through slots 9 in the bars so as to allow the barsto be adjusted fore and aft of the machine.

The blanks are taken one at a time from the bottom of the magazine 1 by a continuously'moving endless band 10 having wire bristles, some of i which are shown at 11 on its surface, which engage the rear margin of the lowermostv blank in the magazine and draw it beneath the rear wall 2 of the magazine. The band 10 passes around drums 12 and 13 which are respectively fixed on rotatable shafts 14 and 15, the shaft 15 being suitably driven to drive the band 10 in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1.

The band 10 slides over a fixed table 16 and this table and the rear wall 2 of the magazine may be relatively adjusted heightwise as already indicated so that the lowermost blankonly in the. magazine can just pass beneath the wall 2. The margins of the blanks at the front of the machine are supported by the plate 6 so that the blanks are inclined relatively to the band 10, as shown in Fig. 1, to an angle determined by the heightwise adjustment of the plate 6 and only the rear edge of the lowermost blank can touch the bristles 11 until this blank has been fed partly out of the magazine. When the lowermost blank has been partly withdrawn from the magazine the remaining blanks are, by means hereinafter described, raised in the magazine and are lowered as soon as the lowermost blank has passed completely from beneath the rear wall 2. In this way the blanks are both shaken up and down inthe magazine and become spaced about half an inch apart on the band 10. For this purpose a bar 17 extends across the magazine beneath the blanks and is formed on an arm 18 of a lever 19 pivoted at 20 on the machine frame.

Blanks carried along by the band 10 are stripped from it by fixed members 25 some of which enter grooves 250 formed on the band by the omission of some of the wire bristles, and directed thereby upon conveyor cords 26 which pass around a driven roller 27 fixed on a shaft 28 rotatably mounted in hearings on the machine frame and around a spindle 29 rotatably mounted in the machine frame. At each side .of the band 10 are cords 30 arranged to support any portions of the blanks which may project beyond the sides of the band 10.

The cords 30 pass around the roller 27 and are driven thereby between certain of the cords 26 and around a roll 31 rotatably mounted on a fixed spindle 310. From the conveyor cords 26 the blanks pass between belts 32, 33 which may be about eight inches wide. around rolls 34, 35 fixed on rotatably mounted shafts36. 37 in a tank 38. The belt 32 passes over the flat upper surface of a support 39 fixed in the tank 38. The shaft 36 is driven and sprockets at each end of the shaft (and on each end of the shaft 37) meshing with endless chains secured along opposite margins of the belt ensure positive drive of the latter. Means are provided whereby the bearings of the shaft 3'? may be adjusted to tension the belt 32.

The tank 38 contains impregnating medium to be applied to the lower face of, and squeezed into, the blanks, say very thick celluloid solution, and this medium is picked up by a drum 40 fixed on I driven shaft 41, the peripheral speed of the drum being twice the speed of the belt 32. The drum 40 is rotated in the opposite direction to the travel of the lower run of the belt 32 with which it contacts. A scraper 42 is mounted on the tank 38 The belt 32 passesand is adjustable by means of screws 430 toward and from the belt 32 where it passes around the roll 34 to control the thickness of the impregnating medium passing to the upper run of the belt. Also adjustable on the tank 38 at each end of the scraper 42 are two members, one of which is shown at 43 (Figs. 4 and 5), which limit the width to which by the action of the scraper 42 the band of impregnant (applied thereto as hereinafter indicated by the drum 40) may be spreadand so prevent the medium from spreading unduly across the belt 32 and passing to the chains at each side of the belt. The widthof the band of impregnating medium carried along the upper run of the belt is, of course, wider than the blanks to be impregnated.

A scraper 44 in the tank 38 has in it a suitable wide notch so as to determine the thickness and width of the impregnating medium carried past it by the drum 40 to the belt .32, the width last mentioned being substantially less than the distance between the members 43 so that the band of impregnating medium coming on the belt to the scraper 42 shall be of less width than the said distance. A scraper 45 is provided for the drum in the tank 38 and may be swung by hand into contact with the drum 40 over its full width if the machine is 'to be left inoperatise for any length of time. An opening 46 is provided in the tank through which the impregnating medium may be supplied to the tank.

The belt 33 passes around rolls14'7, 48 fixed on rotatable shafts 49, 50. The belt 33 leaving the roll 48 passes over a drum 51 fixed on a shaft 52 rotatably mounted in bearings in a tank 53 and then around rolls 54, 55 back to the roll 47. The rolls 5'4, 55 are fixed on rotatable shafts 56, 57 and the shaft 57 may be adjusted to tension the belt 33. The shaft 49,- which is driven, has sprockets at each end for driving the belt 33 positively as in the case of the belt 32. The shafts 50, 56 and 5'? all have sprockets at each end of which the chains at opposite sides of the belts 33 pass. The chain and sprocket-driving means for the belts make it possible to ensure that the belts will travel at the same speed over the support 39.

The belt 33 is pressed against the belt 32 where it passes over the support 39 by a plate 58 which is wider than the distance between the members 43 and which at its front'end is pivoted at 59 on I a heightwise adjustable pivot to the tank 38 and at its rear end is pressed down by a weight 60 on a bar '61 fixed to theupper ends of rods one ,of which is shown at 62. The rods 62 are guided in bearings (one of which is shown at 63) fixed to the tank 38 and the rounded lower ends of the rods engage cupped seatings in the plate 58. By this arrangement the pressure on the blanks as they pass between the belts over the plate 58 and over the support 39 may be caused gradually and progressively to increase.

A hand-controlled scraper 64 (corresponding to the scraper 45 for the drum 40) is provided in thetank 53 for scraping the drum 51 and the drum 51 is driven in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the belt 33 where it passes over the drum. The peripheral speed of the drum 51 is twice the speed of the belt 33. A scraper 65 is adjustably mounted on the tank 53 and may be adjusted toward or from the belt 33 where it passes around the roll 54 to regulate the thickness of the impregnating medium on the belt 33. Members 66 similar to the members 43 are arranged at each end of the scraper 65 to deterthese deep grooves.

mine the width of the medium carried away on the upper run of the belt 33. A scraper 82 similar to the scraper 44 in the tank 53 determines the .thickness and width of the impregnating material carried by the drum 51 to the belt 33. The scrapers 82'and 65 and the members 66 cooperate in the same way as scrapers 44 and 42 and the members 43 to prevent undesired lateral spread of the impregnant. An opening 83 is the medium when they pm out from between the belts.

To separate the blanks from the belts 32, 33 after they emerge from between the pressed-together belts and the pressure thereon, is, by reason of the substantial gap between the rolls 35, 48, gradually relieved, two rows of fine, taut, smooth wires 6'7, 68 pass between the belts, there being preferably eight or ten wires spaced across the width of the belts in each row.

The wires 67, 68 are reciprocated backward and forward about five inches to facilitate their being freed from accumulation of impregnating medium at the rear of the belts and the upper and lower rows of wires are reciprocated relatively in opposite directions so as not to'interfere with the feeding of the blanks, one row of wires being moved rearward in the machine while the other row is moving forward.

The wires 67 of the upper row are fixed at their forward ends to a drum 69 fixed on a rotatably mounted shaft '70. From the drum 69 the wires pass over a roller '71 having a peripheral groove for each wire and rotatably mounted in the machine frame, thence between the belts 32, 33. After the wires 6'7 leave the belts 32, 33 they pass through deep narrow grooves on a rotatable roller 72 driven in the direction of the arrow on Fig. 6 to clean the wires which reciprocate through Any suitable means may be provided to shield the blanks passing under the roller '72 from drops of impregnant cleaned off the wires by it. The wires 6'7 then pass over a rod '73 and are fixed at their rear ends to a drum "74 secured to a rotatable shaft '75. The drum 69 is oscillated by a link '76 pivotally connected at one end to a crank pin '77 on the drum 69 and at its other end to a crank pin '78'on a disk '79 fixed on the shaft 52 and the drum '74 is oscillated by a link pivotally connected at one end to the crank pin '7'7 and at its other end to a crank pin 81 on the drum '74. The crank throw is the same in the latter two cases so that the wires remain taut throughout their reciprocations.

The row of wires 68 are fixed at their forward ends to a drum 84 fixed on a rotatable shaft 85. From the drum 84 the wires 68 pass between the belts 32, 33. As the wires leave the belts they pass through narrow cleaning grooves 86 in a roller 87 rotatably mounted in bearings on the rear of the tank '38 (and driven in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 6) and around a grooved roller 88 rotatably mounted in bearings 89 fixed on the tank 38 and then to a drum 90 mounted upon a rotatable shaft 91 to which drum the rear ends of the wires 68 are secured. The drum 84 isoscillated by a link 92 pivotally connected at v solution.

one end to the crank pin '78 on the disk '79 and at its other end to a crank pin 93 on the drum 84. The drum 90 is oscillated by a link 94 pivotally connected at one end to the crank pin 93 and at the other end to a crank pin 95 on the drum 90, the two crank throwsbeing again the same in the latter two cases to ensure the tautness of the wires.

After the blanks pass out at the rear of the belts 32, 33 and are stripped off them by wires 67, 68 they come upon the roller 87 and are fed by it upon the chains 96 there being a row of seven or eight of these chains which pass around grooves in the roll 87 and around sprocket wheels 9'7 fixed upon a driven rotatable shaft 98. The upper run of the chains 96 is supported on a table fixed to the machine frame and the chains are preferably driven by the sprocket 96 at a somewhat greater speed than the peripheral speed of the roll 8'7 so that the blanks as they are fed away from the machine are spaced a greater distance apart than when they are passing through the machine. The blanks are stripped from the chains 96 by rods 99' which are fixed in the machine frame and which project between the chains. The table 99 is extended at each side of .the outerchains as indicated at 100.

The cords 26, 30 are driven at the same speed and are driven at a speed which while it may be faster is not slower than that of the band 10. The speed of the belts 32, 33 is not slower than the speed of the cords 26, 30 and the peripheral speed of the roll 8'7 is not slowerthan the speed 1 By means of such a machine fabric box toe blanks of, for instance, felt or cotton flannel may at a high rate of speed (say at sixty per minute) have a sufliciency of very concentrated celluloid solution thickened by resinous matter with or without inert filler such as kaolin worked well into them to enable the treated blanks to be ultimately made into satisfactory toe stifleners without any further addition of stiffening material.

When using in such a machine a very thick impregnant as suggested, which may be so thick as to have the usual consistency of the wellknown so-called celluloid toe gum used by shoe manufacturers in making box toes at the time of lasting, it becomes a matter of importance to maintain as nearly as possible the predetermined desirable quantities of impregnant in the respective tanks and to permit this in the case of very thick celluloid solution which though fluid will not flow freely the tanks may be kept supplied by any suitable means operated in timed relation to the operationsof the magazine member 18 so as to supply to the tanks for each blank fed from the magazine measured small quantities of solution corresponding to the quantities which the blank will carry away from'the respective belts. I

The box toes discharged from the chains 96 will usually require to be given some treatment before being packed in air-tight containers since at the'time of their leaving the chains they will usually still have a surface coating of celluloid solution which makes them very sticky and difficult to deal with. They may be passed upon a 1 containers to coat them with such material prior to packing and in such an event it may be necessary only to coat one face of each stiffener, packing them in a pile of pairs in the container with the uncoated faces of each of the pair in contact and the successive pairs in a stack somewhat out of register so that one pair can, on opening the container, be readily separated from the neighboring pair and the members of the pair then stripped from each other.

Any anticipated lack of desirable thickness of the stiifeners by the time they come to be removed from the container, such as might cause a stiffener to wander in the upper during the lasting operation, may be combatted by dressing preferably at a selected area one face of each stiffener (for instance in the case where they are to be packed in pairs as just described on what will be the adjacent faces of a packed pair) prior to packing with an adhesive material such as a suitable rubber solution or suspension unlikely to become absorbed by said face or to have lost .its adhesiveness by the time the stiifeners are withdrawn from the sealed containers.

Nothing hereinbefcre stated should be construed as implying that the invention is limited in its application to toe stiifeners or that the charging of fibrous material with molten thermoplastic stiffening material is excluded from the scope of the invention sought to be protected.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for preparing shoe stiffeners, the combination of moving bands of flexible sheet material co-operativeiy related to apply a stiffening substance and pressure to a stiffener blank fed between them, and means for causing a progressive increase of the pressure applied by said bands during the application of the stiffening substance as the blank proceeds between them.

2. In a machine for preparing shoe stiffeners, the combination of moving bands co-operating to advance a stiflener blank fed between them, means for feeding a blank between said bands, means for applying stiffening material to at least one of said bands, and means for applying progressively increasing pressure to the blank during the application of the stiifening substance asthe blank is advanced between said bands.

3. A machine for use in manufacturing shoe stiffeners having, in combination, a pair Bf bands of flexible fabric having cooperating runs adapted to receive and press between them a stiffener blank, means for driving the bands to move the blank from one position to another, means for supplying a stiffening substance to both of the bands whereby the bands transfer stiffening substance to both sides of the blank, and means for causing the bands to exert upon the blank during for reciprocating the wires.

the application of the stiffening substance a pres.- sure which increases progressively throughout a linear dimension of the blank.

4. That method of impregnating shoe stiffener blanks which comprisesv progressively applying a--layer of stiffening substance to the surface of a moving blank of porous absorbent material, engaging the opposite faces of the blank throughout their whole extent, and applying simultaneously to all localities of the blank 8. pressure which is least at one edge of the blank and is increasingly greater at each succeeding locality across the blank to the opposite edge.

5. A machine for impregnating shoe stiffener blanks having, incombination, a pair of moving bandshaving runs in opposed relation which are substantially straight and converge in the general direction of their movement, means for supplying the adjacent faces of the runs with a predetermined amount of stiffening substance, 95 and means for feeding blanks one by one to the runs.

6. A machine for impregnating shoe stiffener blanks having, in combination, a pair of moving bands having runs in opposed relation which are substantially straight and converge in the general direction of their movement, means for supplying the adjacent faces of the runs with a predetermined amount of stiffening substance, and means for feeding blanks one by one to the runs in such manner that they are spaced apart when they are engaged by the runs.

'7. A machine for impregnating shoe stiffener blanks having, in combination, a pair of moving bands having substantially straight opposed 119 runs, rigid members for supporting the runs in such manner that theyconverge progressively in the direction of their movement, means for supplying the-adjacent 'faces of the runs with layers of stiffening substance of predetermined width and thickness, 2. magazine for blanks, and means for feeding blanks one by one to the runs.

8. A machine for impregnating shoe stiffener blanks having, in combination, a pair of moving bands having two runs in opposed relation, means 120 for guiding the runs in such manner that the runs converge in the direction of their movement, two receptacles for stiffening substance above the level of which portions of the bands pass, means in each receptacle for transferring a predetermined amount of stiffening substance from the receptacle to a band, and means for feeding blanks one by one to the runs.

9. A machine for impregnating shoe stiffener blanks having, in combination, two runs in opposed relation, means for supplying adjacent faces small wires extending between the runs in position to engage opposite faces of the blank.

10. Amachine for impregnating shoe stiffener blanks having. in-combination, two runs in opposed relation, means for supplying adjacent faces of the runs with stiffening substance, means for causing the runs to apply gradually increasing pressure to a blank carried between them, small wires extending between the runs in position to engage opposite faces of the blank, and means DAVID BAIRD MACDONALD. RONALD BAIRD MACDONALD. 

